GOD'S MERCY

Matthew 18: 23-35
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Mercy is an attitude of compassion, care and concern, sealed with love and sympathy towards one another. It can also be seen as God’s nature that is fundamental to His interaction with His creation and as one of God’s attributes. Mercy is also a key character He demands from His people. Our compassion towards others as Christians is usually activated by God’s compassion for His own creation. Those who receives God's mercy are expected to respond to human suffering with much concern and work to eradicate this suffering. Apostle Paul point out that his conversion from a life of rebellion against God and his subsequent call to the ministry was a product of God’s mercy. He attest to this fact in the Book of 1Timothy 1:13: “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

For this reason, he had so much passion to extend this God’s mercy to others through the gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:15-20). In Matthew 18 where we read earlier, a servant who owed ten thousand talents was pardoned by his master, but as soon as he left the presence of his master, he met a fellow servant who owed him a hundred pence. He unleashes the full force of his power on this poor fellow servant without mercy, casting him into prison. When this matter got to his master, in Matthew 18:33, his master simply asked him: _ “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?”_. This clearly points out to us that we are beneficiaries of the God's great mercy so that we also can become dispensers of this same mercy to all those who come in contact with us.

Apostle Paul holds his conversion in highest esteem as a product of God's great mercy, so much so that he spoke about mercy more than any individual in the Bible. His messages, interactions with people and handling of situations were based on the backdrop of God’s mercy. God’s people who are beneficiaries of His great mercy are expected to be dispensers of divine mercy in the church and in the world. That is the reason whenever Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God, He presents mercy as a primary characteristic of God’s kind of life and as a demonstration of His sovereignty. The power of love is embedded in the message of the gospel of God’s mercy, while transforming the lives of men by destroying the works of the devil demonstrates this mercy. Mercy ultimately leads to hunger for souls and to handling the people of God with tender care.

PRAY THIS:
Father, please fill my heart with Your tender mercy and a hunger for souls in Jesus’ Name.